"So, allow me to show you my favourite spot in all Hogsmeade!" Aberforth said as they approached the very busy and very old looking restaurant in the middle of the village. He pointed to the hog's head in the entrance and grinned. "Hog's Head!"
"The restaurant?" Gellert asked, tilting his head and nodding. "Do they only sell hog meat in there?"
"Nah, they have everything you could have asked for and more" Aberforth said, walking inside and nodding for them to follow. Elphias and Albus stayed behind, amused by the youngest wizard's excitement. He began telling what he knew about the place, leading them to a large table that would fit the six of them, while the other two gryffindors simply chuckled silently in the back.
"I never understood his love for this place, if I'm being honest" Elphias whispered, extremely amused, and Albus chuckled, leaning closer to his friend.
"It is because the owner always let him pet the goats. You know, my brother and his affection for goats is something else" he explained, and Elphias let out a laugh that was heard by the others, making them all turn to face the two friends. Albus waved them to keep going, not to worry about it, but Gellert kept his eyes on them for a little longer before turning his attention back to guided tour Aberforth was providing.
After some time, they finally reached the table and sat down, the three Hogwarts students at one side, and the other three on the opposite.
"I think we should ask for a round of butterbeer for everyone here, since Gellert, Jeanne and Bella have never tasted it before" Aberforth suggested, but Albus was quick to send him a glare.
"You are not going to drink today, Aberforth, we agreed on that" he said, firmly, and Abe huffed while Elphias, who unluckily sat between the two brothers, simply chuckled.
"I will go with a butterbeer myself. What do you three want?" he asked politely to the other three, who looked around, and then back at him.
"I'll go for some butterbeer as well" Jeanne said.
"I want some pumpkin juice. I've heard they are deliciously sweet" Bella said, smiling widely.
"Firewhiskey" Gellert said, and then tilted his head. "And then some butterbeer."
"Hm… Gellert, I don't think they sell firewhiskey to students" Albus said, frowning, but Aberforth smirked, standing up.
"Unless you are friends with the owner. Don't worry, I got you covered" he said, excitedly, and Albus tried to call him out but he had already run off towards the bar. Albus sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and fixing his glasses.
"He will never learn" he mumbled and shook his head. "Anyway, do you want a menu to choose what you'll order?"
"Seems good" Jeanne agreed, and Albus waved his wand, making three menus appear in front of them. Each student picked one, eyeing the options slowly.
"Oh, they have meat-free meals! Amazing" Bella whispered, nodding to herself. "I know what I want. Have you decided Jay?"
"I think I'll go with… the turkey leg with potatoes" she nodded, smiling at Bella. "Are you going with the vegetable stew?"
"You know me so well!" Bella exclaimed, pulling Jeanne by the arm, giving her a quick peck and then laying her head on her shoulder. "I considered the vegetable sandwich but the stew sounds more… cosy."
"I'll go with the ribs" Gellert said, putting the menu down and smiling at Albus, who sat in front of him. "What about you and Elphias?"
"Oh, we will share the pork steak" he said, pointing to the dish in the menu just as Aberforth returned, followed by floating drinks.
"A round of butterbeer for everyone!" he said contently, waving his wand with a whispered spell and making the drinks go to their assigned owners. "A pumpkin juice for the pretty lady" he added, and the small bottle went to Bella's hand "and a firewhiskey to the northern European" and the whiskey went to Gellert's hand.
"Are you really going to drink butterbeer Aberforth?" Albus asked, frustrated. "Hadn't we agreed on you not drinking today?"
"Yes, but… it will be only one I promise" he said, picking his glass up and grinning. "A toast for this wonderful day we are having!"
"A toast!" Bella agreed excitedly, and they all raised their glasses, the last ones being Albus and Gellert, who shared a look before Albus sighed and tapped his glass to everyone else's.
Then, they asked for their dishes, and continued to lunch with a nice conversation in the air, laughs that became louder and louder at every round of butterbeer, and the sharing of the bill although the Dumbledores insisted in paying because they had been the ones to invite the others for the little gathering.
Still, Albus was glad they had offered to share, because that would be a great way of keeping the money his mother had separated for them.
And it also meant he could buy an extra chocolate frog and all flavour beans package for Aberforth when he wasn't looking.
After eating their lunch, they next stop was precisely the most known candy shop of all England: Honeydukes. As they walked to the entrance, many children wondered in and out of the store, most of them with a huge bag of candies, and a lollipop in hand. The group of friends walked inside, feeling a little dizzy from both the amount of people inside and the alcohol they had consumed, although out of all of them, Bella was the one that seemed drunker despite of not drinking anything.
"Oh mon Dieu! This store is amazing!" she squealed, looking around in delight and laughing at everything that was happening around her. There were chocolate frogs jumping around in a container, children complaining about their all flavour beans, and some magical sweets that none of them even understood. A little girl came running by Bella with her teeth all sharp like fangs, complaining to her mother that she had eaten a 'dragon candy' without thinking about the consequences.
There were so many products to see, some new ones to try, and the three non-Hogwarts students seemed amazed.
"I had never seen a candy store like this" Gellert whispered, a little more amazed than usual because of the alcohol in his system. He took a little chocolate broom, and watched as it struggled inside the box where it was locked in. "This is fascinating…"
"It is even more fascinating if you partner it up" Albus said, walking behind him and startling the younger boy, that gasped before turning around and sighing.
"Albus, you scared me" he said, grumpily, and then looked back at the broom. "What do you mean, partner it up?"
"It is a quidditch broom" he explained, and nodded to the rest. "If you buy seven brooms, they perform a little quidditch match for you before you eat it. They are actually meant to be bought in seven, because if you buy one, it will try to fly away" he chuckled. "And unlike the chocolate frog, the chocolate broom's spell only leaves it after the first bite, or after the quidditch presentation is over."
"Holy… Albus this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen" Gellert whispered, holding the broom's case carefully. "I want one."
"I can buy one for you, if you'd like" Albus chuckled, enjoying the amusement and childish tone in Gellert's voice. Gellert's eyes seemed to shine at that, and he tilted his head.
"You would buy one for me?"
"Sure, it's only twelve sickles each" he chuckled. Gellert looked at him with a surprised expression and then nodded, handing him the shaking broom box. Albus took it, smiling, and Gellert smiled back.
"No one has ever bought sweets for me before. That's very nice" he said, ever so softly, and Albus felt his heart warming up before he shook his head and tapped his shoulder gently.
"My pleasure Gellert. You can keep looking around, I need to buy some more things" he said, and walked to the side, leaving Gellert to go after the frogs and all flavour beans. As he looked around, he saw Elphias and Aberforth discussing the absurd prices of the colour-changing lollipops, and both Bella and Jeanne tasting some sweets they didn't know by feeding each other the samples. He smiled contently, and grabbed what he wanted before going to pay, without anyone noticing, just so he could keep the surprise. Then, he used a spell to expand his pocket for a few hours and threw it all in there, to be hidden from sight.
After another hour or so, they decided to leave, just so they could walk a little more around the town and then return to the castle and finish off their day by doing homework for the next week.
It had been a good idea, to come to Hogsmeade. Albus would have to thank his brother later.